Nintendo detailed major announcements for its Wii
U home console and Nintendo
3DS portable system in the first Nintendo
Direct of 2014. Launch dates and details for multiple games were
revealed, including new characters in Super
Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and Mario
Kart 8 for Wii U. Nintendo also announced specifics about the
addition of Game Boy Advance games to the Wii U Virtual Console service. NES
Remix 2 is also on the way, complete with a Luigi-themed
surprise. And a pair of games coming to the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo
3DS - Steel Diver: Sub Wars and Rusty's Real Deal Baseball
- demonstrate unique new ways for players to acquire add-on content. To
view the Nintendo Direct in its entirety, visit http://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct.

Little Mac joins Super Smash Bros. (Photo: Business Wire)

Some of today's announcements included:

Wii U News

Mario Kart 8: For the first time ever in any
game, all of Bowser's seven Koopalings are playable characters.
Players with a taste for being bad can get ready to challenge gravity
on the race track with Iggy, Larry, Lemmy, Ludwig, Morton, Roy and
Wendy. The game launches in stores and in the Nintendo eShop on May 30.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U:Little Mac,
the hero of the Punch-Out!! boxing games, will make his first
appearance as a playable character in the upcoming Super Smash Bros.
game. The game will launch in stores and in the Nintendo eShop on Wii
U and Nintendo 3DS in 2014.

Game Boy Advance Games: Portable classics will start making
their way to the Wii U Virtual Console in April, starting with fan
favorites such as Metroid Fusion, Mario & Luigi: Superstar
Saga and Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3. Additional
games will follow every month.

Bayonetta 2: A new trailer for the title from
Platinum Games showed off some new game features. The game is
scheduled to launch later this year.

New game-play footage was shown for the in-development title from
MONOLITH SOFT INC. The game's battle system is based on Xenoblade
Chronicles for Wii. Additional updates will be announced in the
future.

Nintendo eShop on Wii U

NES Remix 2:This second installment of
the mashup of classic Nintendo games features challenges from later
NES games like Super Mario Bros. 3, Kirby's Adventure
and Metroid. Just like NES Remix, the sequel includes
stages from the original games with new challenges, as well as
modified stages that introduce new elements. The game is scheduled to
be available April 25 for $14.99. Best of all, players can unlock a
free bonus game:

Super Luigi Bros.: This is a full game based
on a challenge from NES Remix. It contains all the levels
from the original Super Mario Bros. game, only now it stars
Luigi and requires players to navigate familiar levels in an
unheard-of way - by running to the left! The game even
incorporates Luigi's signature high jump. It's a fun new spin on a
classic game.

Child
of Light: In this RPG from Ubisoft, players take on
the role of young Princess Aurora, who is on a quest to retrieve three
sources of light from the evil queen. She must fight monsters and
solve puzzles to progress. She is assisted by her firefly companion
Igniculous, who can heal party members during bttles and write
messages in light to interact with other players. The game is
scheduled to launch April 30 for $14.99.

Nintendo 3DS News

Yoshi's
New Island:Yoshi gets to bash and
thrash his environment by throwing around Mega Eggdozers and Metal
Eggdozers. Yoshi also can transform into a variety of objects, such as
a jackhammer or a submarine, both of which can be manipulated using
the Nintendo 3DS gyro controls. A certain type of star even transforms
him into Super Yoshi, giving him the ability to fly through the sky or
run along walls and ceilings. Players who are having trouble
completing a level might see the appearance of Flutter Wings, which
let Yoshi fly through the air. Yoshi's New Island is scheduled
to launch March 14 in stores and in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS.

Mario
Golf: World Tour: In addition to previously
announced multiplayer features, the game will also include the Castle
Club, a single-player clubhouse area that offers a variety of areas to
help players hone their skills. The Castle Club includes golf courses,
tournaments, training areas, shops, locker rooms and a café. A
training area lets them focus on specific aspects of their game, such
as putting. Players can customize their Mii characters using items
sold at the shop, including clubs, golf balls and clothing. Different
combinations of gear can affect a player's performance. Mario Golf:
World Tour is scheduled to launch May 2 in stores and in the
Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS.

Kirby:
Triple Deluxe:Kirby has always had
the power to inhale his enemies and take on their abilities. Each copy
ability can let him do a variety of actions and moves, depending on
which buttons are pressed. The game includes a huge number of
collectibles for players to find, from hidden 8-bit keychains to Sun
Stones. The game takes advantage of the StreetPass feature to deliver
better items to players. Kirby: Triple Deluxe is scheduled to
launch May 2 in stores and in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS.

Professor
Layton and the Azran Legacy:The game
includes the series' famous mind-bending puzzles as well as
collectible items and scavenger hunts that can be shared via
StreetPass. The game launches Feb. 28 in stores and in the Nintendo
eShop on Nintendo 3DS.

Monster
Hunter 4 Ultimate: Hunt alongside friends online in
the most dynamic Monster Hunter game ever. Capcom's action RPG
is coming to North America in early 2015 with more content and options
than ever before.

Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS

Steel
Diver: Sub Wars:AVAILABLE NOW! This
strategic first-person shooter is the successor to Steel Diver.
It features more tactical action game play than typical shooters, as
players are asked to navigate heavy-duty submarines while staying one
step ahead of their enemies. People can compete in local four-on-four
team sub battles and go online to battle submariners from around the
world (as long as each person downloads the game for him- or herself).
A free version that features two basic submarines, the beginning of
the single-player mission mode and multiplayer features is now
available for download. An upgrade to the full Premium version of the
game is also available for purchase within the in-game menu for $9.99.

INAZUMA
ELEVEN: AVAILABLE NOW! In this soccer-themed RPG,
players help their team go from underdogs to champions by training,
learning new skills and recruiting the best players around.
High-tension soccer battles require players to marshal all their
teammates' special moves, from flaming tornado kicks to mind-bending
acrobatics. The INAZUMA ELEVEN franchise has passionate fans in
Japan and Europe, and it makes its North American debut today. The
game is now available for download for $19.99.

Pokémon
Battle Trozei: This fast-paced Pokémon puzzle game
has players matching Pokémon to clear them while battling and
collecting other Pokémon. The game includes every single known Pokémon
- more than 700 of them - from Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue
to Pokémon X and Pokémon Y. Caught Pokémon can be used
by players during battles to help them and will even grow in strength
and inflict greater damage the more they are used. The game also
features four-player co-op play, and is scheduled to be available
March 20 for $7.99.

Rusty's
Real Deal Baseball:Ex-pro baseball
player and dog Rusty Slugger owns a sports shack. He's broke with 10
puppies to feed, so he offers a variety of baseball mini-games for
sale, themed around the simple pleasures of baseball. Players can bat,
pitch, catch and even umpire. The initial software containing a part
of the first mini-game is free, but players can purchase additional
mini-games in a unique way: by haggling to lower the real-world price
for each downloadable game. Additional games start at $4 apiece, but
giving Rusty items or listening to his problems might improve his mood
and motivate him to offer steep discounts. The game is scheduled to
launch in April.

WEAPON
SHOP de OMASSE: This is the fourth and final game
in what is known in Japan as the GUILD01 series, which has delivered
games like LIBERATION MAIDEN and CRIMSON SHROUD to the
Nintendo eShop. In comedian Yoshiyuki Hirai's tribute to classic
role-playing games, players are tasked with managing a weapon shop
inside an RPG. Players tap the touch screen in time with music to
forge their weapons. Optimal timing and forge temperatures lead to
better weapons for heroes to take on quests. The stronger the weapons,
the more successful the heroes. The game is scheduled to be available
Feb. 20 for $7.99.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of
interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan,
manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii U™
and Wii™ home consoles, and Nintendo 3DS™ and
Nintendo DS™ families of portable systems. Since 1983, when
it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has
sold more than 4.2 billion video games and more than 669 million
hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii U,
Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL, as well as the Game Boy™,
Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi
XL™, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™, Nintendo
GameCube™ and Wii systems. It has also created industry icons
that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™,
Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and
Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America
Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's
operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about
Nintendo, please visit the company's website at http://www.nintendo.com.

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